Operatives working for Elon Musk have gained unprecedented access to a swath of US government departments, including agencies responsible for managing data on millions of federal employees and a system that handles $6 trillion in payments to Americans. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a presidential advisory board, has taken control of top federal departments and datasets, despite questions about their security clearances, cybersecurity practices, and the legality of Musk's activities.

The access by DOGE represents the widest-known compromise of federal government-held data by a private group of individuals, and little has gotten in their way. DOGE has acknowledged few details about its ongoing activities, leaving open questions around whether cybersecurity and privacy practices are being followed. It's unclear whether DOGE staffers are following procedures to keep this data from being accessed by other people, or if any other steps are being taken to protect the sensitive data on Americans.

Security experts have raised concerns about the lack of transparency and oversight in DOGE's activities. The group's takeover of federal government departments has led to brief standoffs between career officials and DOGE staff, with senior officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) being put on leave after standing in the way of DOGE staff to protect classified information. DOGE subsequently gained access to the classified facility at USAID, which reportedly contained intelligence reports.

Several senior lawmakers have expressed concerns about DOGE's activities, including the lack of information provided to Congress or the public about the team's clearance, authority, and vetting processes. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has called Musk's access to sensitive federal payments systems a national security risk, given the conflict of interest over his extensive business operations in China.

DOGE's activities have also raised concerns about the potential for data breaches and cybersecurity risks. The group's access to sensitive internal systems at the Department of Education, including datasets containing the personal information of millions of students enrolled in financial aid, has sparked fears about the potential for data leaks or misuse. Similarly, DOGE's access to payment systems within the US Department of Health and Human Services, and access to data at the US agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, has raised concerns about the potential for sensitive health information to be compromised.

The domestic and global ramifications of DOGE's activities are significant. The group's access to the inner data core of the US government raises untold security risks, including the potential for malware to compromise other devices on the federal network and allow the theft of sensitive government information. The mishandling of personal information on devices or cloud environments that have not met the standards of the government's top security specifications, or use the strongest security controls, puts that data at risk of further compromise or leak.

Technology and privacy lawyer Cathy Gellis argues that Musk and his DOGE team are likely "personally liable" under the US federal hacking law, known as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which covers the accessing of federal systems without proper authorization. A court would still ultimately have to determine DOGE's activity as "unauthorized access" and therefore illegal, wrote Gellis.

The access also puts relationships with the United States and its diplomatic allies on shaky ground. Allied nations may not want to share intelligence with the US government if they think the information could leak, spill into the public domain, or otherwise get lost as a result of the breakdown in cybersecurity practices aimed at protecting sensitive information.

In reality, the cybersecurity consequences of DOGE's ongoing access to federal departments and datasets may not be known for some time. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the US government will respond to the compromise of sensitive data and the potential risks to national security.